Legend Records

11-DECEMBER-2013: Available: Mandalaband IV 'AD – Sangreal'

Mandalaband IV: AD – SANGREAL

Following on from the widely acclaimed BC – ANCESTORS CD, we now have AD – SANGREAL to absorb and savour. Whilst BC focussed on the pre-Christian era of ancient Egypt, Israel and Mesopotamia, AD takes the first one thousand years of early Christianity as its theme – specifically the legend of the Holy Grail or Sangreal.

But this is not the famous Arthurian tale with which we are all familiar. This is the story of the cup of the Last Supper, as handed down to us from within the little-known Romano-Spanish traditions – a small red agate vessel which, over the centuries, journeyed from Jerusalem to Glastonbury, then to Rome, and on to the kingdom of Aragon in Spain, before finally finding its rest in the cathedral of Valencia where it remains to this day. All the extraordinary events, heroes and villains involved in that epic journey are revealed in the lyrics of AD – SANGREAL … a story told in majestic ballads, stirring melodies and a complex tapestry of weaving rhythms … a story of emperors, kings, caliphs, warriors, crusaders, knights and saints.

Epic in every sense of that word, AD – SANGREAL consists of 14 tracks, many of which are spectacular anthems. In addition there is a very special bonus track, featuring Woolly Wolstenholme (of BJH and Maestoso) as lead vocalist on Mandalaband’s rendition of the classic Barclay James Harvest song ‘Galadriel’.

01-NOVEMBER-2010: NEW RELEASE: MANDALABAND I & II: RESURRECTION

Resurrection

Legend Records releases remixed and digitally remastered "Mandalaband" and "Eye of Wendor" in a new 2CD digipak.

David Rohl – the mastermind behind Mandalaband and composer-producer-engineer extraordinaire – had wondered for years whether anything could be done, using modern digital recording systems, to improve the original mixes of the original albums.

EMI (who had acquired the entire Chrysalis catalogue) agreed to give him access to the original 24-track analogue master tapes and arranged to have them restored and digitised at Abbey Road Studios in London, granting Legend Records the international licence to re-release both albums.

Armed with these digital transfers, David then set about reinforcing the sound and instrumentation to give more power and depth to the original recordings, before remixing the entire albums at his Spanish studio overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The result is a remarkable testimonial to the wonders of modern audio technology and the talents of the mastermind behind the Mandalaband project.

With six bonus tracks, new artwork – including the cover by world-renowned artist Ed Unitsky – and a 16-page booklet containing important historical information, you cannot afford to miss out on this gem.

19-OCTOBER-2009: New Release: Mandalaband III 'BC – Ancestors'

Mandalaband III 'BC-Ancestors' Release

A strange thing has happened. More than thirty years after Mandalaband I and II were released by Chrysalis in the 1970s, two new Mandalaband albums are about to appear, like a miraculous mirage on the Eastern Desert horizon.

The first album, BC – ANCESTORS, takes you back to legendary times when heroes walked the Earth and great civilisations rose and fell in the ancient lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Setting out from Eden, you will hear of Nimrod who built the first empire on Earth and the infamous Tower of Babel; Hammurabi of Babylon who gave us the first great Law Code; Moses and his stubborn opponent Dudimose (‘Tutimaos’) – the unfortunate Pharaoh of the Exodus; Akhenaten who worshipped the Aten sun-god; Ramesses II – Egypt’s greatest pharaoh, commemorated in Shelley’s famous poem Ozymandias; the sage-like wisdom and wealth of King Solomon; Agamemnon of Mycenae whose greed and ambition launched a thousand ships to destroy Troy; Aeneas and Dido whose tragic love story ended in her suicide and his death in battle – an event which marked the birth of Roman civilisation.

The band writers have created majestic themes for this unreservedly symphonic-rock album, with touches of Celtic and ambient atmosphere to reflect the ancient-world subject matter. The orchestrations are complex and full of depth, whilst the rhythm patterns are richly textured, drawing from Middle Eastern, African and Celtic cultures. Even so, as you will discover, the tunes are simple, melodic and memorable.

BC – ANCESTORS was produced in Legend’s studio atop a Spanish mountain, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We hope you like what you hear.